The Feminist Bookworm

I'll start with a few facts and an anecdote. First, in case you didn't know, David Yoon is the husband of Nicola Yoon, who wrote  Everything, Everything  and  The Sun is Also a Star.  He also did the illustrations that are in  Everything, Everything . This is his debut novel. Now, for the anecdote. I had always planned on reading this book. When I was at ALA, I went to the Penguin booth and asked if they had Frankly in Love . They said that they did, but that they were only giving it out at the signing. So, I figured I’d go to the signing. However, the line was quite long, so I decided not get in line since the book would come out in September, which wasn’t too long of a wait. But then I ran into Laurie Halse Anderson at the Penguin booth, and she recognized! She also RAVED about Frankly in Love and said it was one of the best books she had read this year and how it touched on themes of racism, identity, and acceptance. So I was like, “I have ...

Last night, I finished reading Suggested Reading by Dave Connis. I was absolutely blown away by it. It's 385 pages, which is on the longer side for contemporary YA, but I absolutely flew through it. It's a book about books. It's a love letter to reading. It's a commentary on banned books. And it's amazing. If you like books, if you like to read, I see know reason why you won't love this book. Suggested Reading takes place in a town in Tennessee, and it follows our main character, Clara, who is a huge reader. She's also AWESOME. She's even started little mini libraries around town! At the beginning of her senior year, she discovers that her private school is secretly banning over 50 books, including many books that have had a tremendous impact on her, such as her favorite author's newest release. Clara decides to start an underground library (the UnLib) in her locker using the banned books the school has made the library get rid of (she puts ...

Let me just start by saying that this review is going to be all over the place. I'll admit I was a part of the Twilight fandom. I loved Twilight , I still love Twilight , and a part of me, despite being a woman of color who recognizes all of Twilight 's flaws, will always love it. However, as a person of color, I see no part of myself in Twilight,  and the main character's name is Isabella, for crying out loud! From my memory, in the books, there are zero black characters and zero LGBTQ+ characters. Zero. To be fair, Twilight was written in 2005, which was essentially a different era, but that doesn't change the fact that it isn't diverse. The Beautiful , however, is the diverse Twilight young women of color truly deserve . The main character is biracial, and has to hide the fact that she is biracial, there are queer characters, and lots of interesting commentary about race and identity. Additionally, The Beautiful , which is just an all-around better bo...

Working for a bookstore is the best job in the world; you get to be surrounded by books, talk to people about books, and help people find their new favorite book. But you also get to read advanced copies of books, and that is how I got my hands on  an advanced copy of The Starless Sea . Thank you so much to Doubleday for sending me this book for review! I cannot believe I was given the opportunity to read an advanced copy of one of my most anticipated books, The Starless Sea , by Erin Morgenstern. I read Erin's first book, The Night Circus , when I was 14, and I really loved it. So, I was very excited to see what her sophomore novel would be like.  The Starless Sea is a book about books. Actually, it's a book about stories, and a love letter to storytelling. It's magical and haunting and whimsical and lush and lyrical and it is genuinely one of the most remarkable books I have ever read . This book is a reminder of why I- why we - love stories.  The Starless Se...